Taiwo Popoola
Usman Yusuf, former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of trying to silence critics and suppress dissent.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, Yusuf claimed that his recent detention was a deliberate attempt to intimidate him and discourage opposition to government actions.
In February, Yusuf was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty before Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
Reflecting on his time in Kuje prison, Yusuf described it as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” insisting that it only strengthened his resolve.
Recalling the events of January 29, Yusuf said that men who identified themselves as EFCC operatives stormed his home without an arrest warrant.
“On the 29th of January this year, at about 6:30 PM, my wife came up to my room and said there were some gentlemen who knocked and just walked into the house. They walked in through the door and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them,” he said.
“They said they were from the EFCC and had come to take me. I said, ‘Guys, you haven’t even introduced yourselves.’ They quickly brought out their badges and confirmed they were from the EFCC.”
Yusuf added that the operatives prevented him from changing his clothes and stopped his wife from bringing him alternative clothing.
He recounted how he was sandwiched between an armed officer and a young operative inside a bus, who high-fived each other “as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji”.
According to Yusuf, he spent six days in EFCC custody before being arraigned. He also said that he was denied bail due to the judge’s illness, resulting in an additional 24 days spent at Kuje prison.
“The denial of bail was wrong,” he said.
“Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither.”
“This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up. I spent six days at the EFCC and 24 days in Kuje prison — all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced.”
“The whole purpose was the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu trying to silence any form of dissent.”
“This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military, who ran across the border, and fled to safety.”
Yusuf emphasised that criticising a government is a fundamental right in a democracy.
“Criticizing a government in a democracy is the legitimate right of every citizen. But now, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is trying to stifle dissent and turn Nigeria into a one-party dictatorial state. We are not going to let that happen.”
Yusuf was appointed NHIS executive secretary in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was suspended in 2017 by the health minister and later by the NHIS board in 2018 over allegations of corruption, before being officially removed from office in 2019.
